> NCLD Talks > Reading for Meaning

Join Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed, an experienced general and special education teacher, administrator, and consultant as she discusses "reading for meaning."

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Read more about Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.

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I am Deanna Stecker, Early Literacy Specialist at the National Center for Learning Disabilities, and I'll be the moderator of today's discussion.

To those of you who have submitted questions in advance of today's chat, many thanks! As usual, we encourage everyone to send in questions and we'll try to respond to those that are most closely related to our discussion topic and of the broadest interest to our audience. (If you have questions unrelated to this topic, please feel free to send them to NCLD's Help Desk at help@ncld.org.)

Let's now begin the discussion.

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Question from Deborah Cowland, private tutor, Pearl City, Hawaii:
    How can I help my student learn to interact with reading materials? I have tried reading a novel together. I would model by vocalizing all the questions, observations and predictions I have as I read. I would then solicit the students' thoughts, opinions or wonderings. We would record it on paper and from time to time, we would revisit and amend or answer if we can. He still only reads the words. Should I try another genre? Do you have a suggestion for me?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Deborah,
This is a terrific question! Reading comprehension is all about constructing meaning, and students need to interact with text to do this. Directly teaching and modeling the strategies that expert readers use, whether on a novel, newspaper article, or textbook passage, is critically important.

Often, students with learning disabilites are not metacognitive, or purposeful, about reading. "Thinking out loud" makes active learning visible for your students. It is also important for teachers and tutors to provide opportunity for guided and independent practice of the strategies being taught and then, modeled.

Additionally, we need to consider the challenges presented by the text itself (e.g., vocabulary, figurative language, sentence construction) and plan for these potential barriers throughout instruction. The focus is usually on prior knowledge before reading, engagement with text through questioning, clarifying, visualizing during reading and then, summarizing learning through graphic organizers, retells etc. after reading.

The National Reading Panel (2000) has also identified monitoring of comprehension, use of graphic and semantic organizers, answering and generating questions, summarizing and story struture as effective strategies. There are a number of other resources that might be helpful to you such as Eileen Marzola's chapter on comprehension in Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills or Isabel Beck's Questioning the Author: An Approach for Enhancing Student Engagement with Text.

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Question from Anita Rutherford, Parent, Stanwood School District:
    How do I get my 13 year old son to read when he is such a slow reader? How can I as a parent teach reading?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Anita,
I think it is important to recognize that teaching reading is a complex and complicated task. As Louisa Moats so often reminds us "teaching reading is rocket science!" At the same time, you have such an important role to play in assuring that your son develops essential literacy skills for school and life.

It is critical that we recognize how frustrating it is to read for meaning when rate is slow. Attending to the meaning becomes secondary if one is struggling to get through the words. So, fluency instruction, either focused on accuracy and/or automaticity, is necessary. If this is not being provided, then you need to pursue why and how this issue can be addressed instructionally.

Then, you can support these efforts at home by reading with and for your son. Even more importantly, the question of accomodation, such as taped books or other forms of assistive technology, needs to be considered. As your son moves from grade to grade, the reading demands will increase. Additionally, vocabulary and concepts, based on prior knowledge, will become more complex hence the importance of access to print. Lastly, your son needs to be able to read what his friends are reading and what interests him, so keep advocating for appropriate reading instruction!

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Question from Rick Karmik, Operations Analyst, DeVry University:
    My son, who is now 23 yrs old, was diagnosed with reading comprehension problems. He has dropped out of college and is convinced that he cannot read or comprehend literature of any type! He refuses to read saying that it is a waste of time. As a parent, how can I help him or find him professional help?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Rick,
As you know, the reading demands of college curricula can be overwhelming for many, especially a student with a reading disability. The hope is that students, such as your son, have access to on campus support and services that allow them to participate in an academic setting.

At the same time, there are many other resources available to young and older adults with learning disabilities. Organizations, such as the National Center for Learning Disabilities (http://www.LD.org) and Learning Disabilities Association (http://www.ldaamerica.org/) have pages on their websites that deal with issues ranging from the schoolhouse to the workplace. Individuals with personal experience, such as Dale Brown (dale-brown@mindspring.com), regularly address adult concerns through presentations at conferences and publications.

Additionally, organizations like the International Dyslexia Association (http://www.interdys.org/) have local adult support groups and maintain a professional referral list of diagnosticians, counselors, tutors and educational therapists.

Reading omprehension is a complex task that requires several skills including accurate and automatic word recognition as well as adequate vocabulary and a fund of general knowledge. Identifying, and then working with the cause of this problem as well as the abilities of the individual requires the expertise of an informed professional.

Additionally, an understanding of the social and emotional consequences for a young adult is critical. Hopefully, this information will assist your son in identifying solutions for what appears, at the moment, to be an insurmountable challenge.

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Question from birving@webster-city.k12.ia.us:
    Do texts on tape assist students who are below grade level to understand the text and learn the content subject?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    I am so pleased that you asked this question! The simple answer is "yes," but we all know nothing is simple about learning. Recently, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) (http://www.rfbd.org/) and the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) (http://www.interdys.org) co-developed and adopted Five Principles of Remediation and Accomodation in an Academic Setting. The intent was to convey how remediation and accomodation are distinct yet, complementary, and are, in fact, essential to academic success.

Students who are "struggling readers" must be taught how to read but they must also have access to text if they are to build the vocabulary and background knowledge necessary for comprehension. Additionally, this access allows them to participate in acadamic settings appropriate to their abilities.

RFB&D recently worked wih researchers at John Hopkins University to examine the effect of AudioBooks on middle school students' content acqusition and found positive results. In a recent chapter on assistive technology in a book called Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, Linda Hecker and Ellen Engstrom noted that there are beginning research findings that assistive technology can influence acquisition of basic reading skills as well. There is a caution connected with the use of taped texts and other forms of assitive technology that provide access to print. Students need to be taught how to use these tools. In other words, the tool alone is not sufficient; strategy must coupled with it.

If students are to construct meaning from text, then strategies and activities used for print must be incorporated into this teaching/ learning environment. RFB&D regularly works with teachers in workshops and has published RFB&D's Learning throught Listening Teacher's Kit to this end. Additionally, Landmark College (http://www.landmarkcollege.org/) has recently released the newest edition of their guidebook on how teachers and students can use assistive technology effectively.

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Question from Michele Lonergan, Coordinator, Parle-moi/Talk with Me Early Language Service, Speech-Language Pathologist:
    Hi Nancy, What are the earliest signs of dyslexia and how are they differentiated from the "typical" errors a child makes when learning to read/write? Thanks! M.

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Michele,
Thanks for asking! Too often we wait too long to intervene with our "struggling readers." At the same time, this is not a "perfect science" but we are making great progress in identifying children early.

We know that dyslexia is a language-based learning disability so it is not surprising that often the ’clues’ we look for are problems in this area. Sally Shaywitz in her book, Overcoming Dyslexia, suggests that listening to the preschool child’s speech can provide the earliest indicators of potential problems. Difficulty with phonologic skills, whether they emerge in a language delay, mispronunciations and/or difficulties with hearing and repeating sounds, are often warning signs. Additionally, family history yields critical information since we know dyslexia runs in families.

Assessment that seeks to identify preschool children who are at risk, (such as Get It, Got It, Go! at http://ggg.umn.edu) often looks at a child’s abilities in the areas of picture naming, alliteration and rhyming. Once children enter kindergarten, we have access to screening instruments such as DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Essential Literacy Skills, https://dibels.uoregon.edu) and PAR (Predictive Assessment of Reading, http://www.predictiveassessment.com/) that attend to the most powerful predictors of reading difficulty such as letter naming , phoneme segmentation and vocabulary. This type of assessment identifies those children who are high risk and for whom we should intervene, monitor response to intervention and/or conduct a comprehensive evaluation. At the same time, information gained from teachers and parents can contribute to our understanding of the difficulties children are experiencing. Lastly, clinical judgment of the specialist and/or diagnostician, such as you, plays an incredibly important role in this determination.

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Question from Cheryl Kacy, Special Educator, Mesa High School:
    How does the Orton-Gillingham method of reading instruction compare to other methods, and is the Orton-Gillingham method specifically for students with dyslexia?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Cheryl,
Thanks for asking about the Orton-Gillingham Method. It has a long and proud history having been conceived and developed by Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham, pioneers in the field of dyslexia. Some who followed, including June Orton, refined this method and others created multisensory structured language programs based on it.

It is generally accepted that either Orton-Gillingham (O-G) or a Multisensory Stuctured Language (MSL) program is the most approriate approach for remediating the reading difficulties demonstrated by the dyslexic student. However, there is also a growing recognition that O-G or MSL instruction can benefit all struggling readers.

All of these programs reflect the same set of instructional principles: simultaneous and multisensory; systematic and cumulative; use of direct instruction; use of diagnostic teaching; and incorporation of synthetic and analytic instruction. Not surprisingly, the content of these programs aligns with the critical components of reading instruction: phonology and phonological awareness; sound-symbol association; syllable instruction; morphology; syntax and semantics. Instruction may be delivered individually or in a small group.

Increasingly, O-G and/or MSL programs are being integrated in general education and delivered in a large group. For the dyslexic student, the primary differences are intensity, duration of instruction and the training of the instuctor.

All of these programs require specialized training with varying degrees of intensity. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) (http://www.interdys.org) recently published a matrix of multisensory structured language programs that includes descriptions of Orton-Gillingham and other MSL programs specific to content, intended audience, research base, training, and contact information. This resource, as well as number of fact sheets related to this topic, are available from IDA.

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Question from Anita Rutherford, Parent, Stanwood School District:
    How do you test for dyslexia? My son is such a slow reader. I'm wondering if he is like me, I was a slow reader getting "b" and "p" mixed up when I spell. Seeing double when I read or just slow because I have to read out loud to myself. Is there a test? How do I get my son evaluated?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Anita,
I would suggest that you visit the website of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) (http://www.interdys.org) to access their fact sheet on dyslexia. This will help you understand this learning disability. I would also recommend their fact sheet called "Testing for Dyslexia." It is chock full of information, some of which I have used in this reply.

First of all, it is important to know that there is no single test for dyslexia. Rather, professionals look for a pattern of strengths and weaknesses that reflect the definition of dyslexia. This definition clearly identifies dyslexia as a language-based learning disability that results in difficulties in decoding and spelling, the core deficit being in phonological processing. Additionally, this weakness is often unexpected in comparison to other cognitive abilities and exists despite effective classroom instruction. Finding an experienced, knowledgeable diagnostician to do the testing, who understands dyslexia and the instructional implications, is critical. Again, IDA and other organizations like the National Center for Learning Disabilities (http://www.LD.org) can be helpful in locating individuals with these qualifications.

The following elements should be included in an assessment for dyslexia:
1) A developmental, medical, behavioral, academic and family history,
2) A measure of general intellectual functioning, such as an IQ test
3) Information on cognitive processing (language, memory, auditory processing, visual processing, visual motor integration, reasoning abilities, and executive functioning),
4) Tests of specific oral language skills related to reading and writing success to include tests of phonological processing,
5) Educational tests to determine level of functioning in basic skill areas of reading, spelling, written language, and math.

The testing in reading/writing should include the following measures:
1) single word decoding of both real and nonsense words,
2) oral and silent reading in context (evaluate rate, fluency, comprehension and accuracy),
3) reading comprehension,
4) dictated spelling test,
5) written expression: sentence writing as well as story or essay writing,
6) handwriting

The evaluation should also include a classroom observation, and a review of the language arts curriculum for the school-aged child to assess remediation programs which have been tried.

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Question from Emily, reading specialist, NY:
    I teach a group of third graders who are all below grade level in reading. How important is it to spend time teaching them vocabulary words? How do I know what words to teach them?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    It is very important. While your students are gaining basic reading skills that allow them to interact with text, we want to be certain they are also acquiring the vocabulary and background knowledge necessary for comprehension. Isabel Beck's book, Bringing Words to Life, is a terrific resource for teachers. She talks about how to choose words and then, how to teach them. Since we can not possibly teach all of the words students need to know, Dr. Beck suggests we target what she calls "tier 2" words, These are words that students have a basic understanding of, are more sophisticated and can found in different contexts e.g. labor (students already understand the concept of work). She reminds us of the importance of providing a context for meaning, involving students in the development of definition and then, providing multiple opportunties to interact with and use these words.

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Question from Chris Pittman, ESE Teacher, FSUS:
    I teach learning strategy classes to students with learning disabilities. My students read fluency passages each day (same passage for 5 days-1 minute timed), but after the 5th day, I've asked several students to tell me what they've been reading for the past 5 days. Most of them are unable to tell me anything about the passage without slowly re-reading the passage. How does fluency help with comprehension???

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Chris,
You clearly recognize that fluency is more than reading quickly. Some researchers (Hudson, Mercer and Lane, 2000) have concluded that the richest interpretation of fluency not only includes accuracy, automaticity and prosody but also, deep understanding.

Rate does play an important role in that it "frees up the cognitive space" necessary for focusing on meaning. Joanne Carlisle in Improving Reading Comprehension tells us that when readers are slow they "will have trouble maintaining information long enough in memory to make sense of it." Carlisle also relates "that there is a reciprocal relationship between comprehension and fluency. The better a reader's understanding of a passage, the more fluent his or her reading is likely to be. The more fluent the reader, the more likely it is that he or she will understand a paasage."

Our students need to understand that while rate is important,the goal is to make meaning of what they are reading not just to word call quickly. At the same time, we, as educators, need to be cognizant of what other factors might be influencing their comprehension. Thinking through potential challenges in a passage such as vocabulary, figurative language, sentence construction, and passage structure can assist us in scaffolding understanding. Selected passages can also provide an opportunity not only for fluency practice but also for application of reading comprehension strategies currently being taught.

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Question from Gail Giarrusso, parent:
    I have a 6th grader that has an IEP for Other Health Impairments. He had benchmarks for reading fluency in 2004 to reach 100 correct words per minute by June 2004. I thought he had reached that goal by his progress reports. Suddenly, reading fluency is once again an issue. He is reading between 70-85 correct words per minute. What can I do?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Gail,
Fluency can be a bit tricky for older students. It often remains a stumbling block particuarly if approriate intervention was not provided in the beginning grades. Working with your son's teacher will be critical.

The good news is that benchmarks have been set for your son and he has shown progress in the past. When we set goals for students and they do not respond to the intervention provided, then it is time to revisit and analyze why and what we can do about it.

The beginning step is to assess fluency rate. The traditional way of doing this is to determine WCPM (words correct per minute) and to compare the student's performance to established norms (e.g. Hasbrouck and Tindal Oral Reading Fluency Norms, 2005). If a student's score falls below benchmark as does your son's, then the next steps are to assess accuracy for sight vocabulary and accuracy with decoding. It is important to determine whether the problem is accuracy (phoneme awareness, phonics, word identification) or fluency. At this point, we can revisit intervention, identify the instructional focus and appropriate strategies. Ongoing progress monitoring will also be essential to detemine effectiveness of intervention.

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Question from Marilyn Zecher, CALT -Levinson-Block Collaborative:
    Would you address the role of grammar instruction as it affects later reading prosody and fluency. Obviously this is a skill addressed after decoding skills are established. It has always been my feeling that a knowledge of phrases, clauses, conjunctions, transition words and appositives help students link words as units of meaning and aid comprehension by aiding prosody.

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi,
You are on target! In Put Reading First (http://www.nifl.gov), fluent readers are described as having the ability ’to group words quickly in ways that help them gain meaning from what they have read. These readers read aloud effortlessly and with expression. Their reading sounds natural, as if they are speaking.’

On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, (http://www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard) four levels of oral reading fluency are differentiated based on ability to read in meaningful phrases vs. word by word. While focused prosody practice does not produce stronger gains for reading rate, it does support comprehension (Torgeson et al, 2001).

Prosody reflects a student’s grammatical awareness which then translates into phrasing and changes in intonation as they recognize and incorporate the function of parts of speech and punctuation. Too often, we create artificial distinction between reading and writing. Working with parts of speech particularly, subordinating conjunctions and prepositions and connecting them to phrasing practice can be very effective. Additionally, understanding how sentences are constructed, types of sentences, use of phrase and clauses, all contribute initially to meaning at the sentence then passage level.

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Question from Nicole Cognato, Teacher, Comsewogue School District:
    Could you give some examples of effective literacy strategies an educator should use to enhance decoding skills and reading fluency?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Nicole,
Thanks for asking about decoding. It is so critical to reading and ultimately, comprehension. We might begin by considering the key elements of decoding instruction. Suzanne Carreker, in a chapter on teaching reading in Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, identified these as; phonological awareness, instant letter recognition, sound-symbol correspondence, syllabication, morphology, irregular words, spelling patterns and of course, practice for accuracy and fluency. No wonder, reading is difficult for some kids!!! We know that effective decoding instruction is explicit, systematic and sequential in nature.

It is also helpful to consider the components and daily routines usually incorporated in an effective phonics/decoding lesson. Louisa Moats describes these components in Module 7 of Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS). They include; letters, sounds, letter-sound association, word building, spelling, sentence dictation, reading of decodable text and application to other contexts. Each of these components calls for specific strategies and I would recommend Suzanne’s chapter or Marcia Henry’s book Unlocking Literacy: Effective Decoding and Spelling Instruction as resources for this information.

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Question from Jennifer McMorrow,Parent,Shaffer Elementary, Susanville, CA:
    I am curious as to the best way to approach helping my son to read. He is 5 and in kindergarten, and is able to recognize about 8 letters, and can read the word "no", but his teacher is very concerned because he cannot remember numbers or letters. He does go to speech therapy at school, and they too are concerned because of his inability to retain information. What sort of disability could this be, and if there is one, and how can I best help him? I don't want to try things that will cause frustration, and possibly hurt his self esteem.

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for asking such an important question. Without knowing your son, talking to you and his teachers and then, testing him, it would be unfair to identify what, if any disability he has. However, given that you and his teachers have concerns about his school performance, I would recommend that you discuss evaluation with them. If in fact, he does have a learning disability, then early intervention is critical. I would also suggest that you access the websites of the organizations referenced in other responses. This will help you to understand learning disabilities, assessment and your role in advocating for what is appropriate for your child.

Additionally, there are some things you can do to help with reading. There are a number of skills and abilities that support learning how to read. These include print awareness (understanding books, letters), beginning writing (how letters are made) and linguistics (how language works, particularly sounds). These are three areas that NCLD’s Get Ready to Read! (http://www.getreadytoread.org) address. This is a terrific resource and includes a screening instrument, activities and lots of information that parents can use to build early literacy skills. Another useful resource is the Reading Rockets site (http://www.readingrockets.org) which has lessons, activities, and articles focused on reading skills.

Lastly, it is so important that you read with your child. When they are little, like your son, books are an incredible source for vocabulary and general information. They also serve as a bridge between oral and written language. The website, ’Read with Me’ (http://www.readwme.com) teaches parents how to read with, not to, their children by using many of the strategies students use when they transition to reading themselves.

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Question from Katherine Rayburn, Frederick County Schools, Elementary IEP Specialist:
    Hi Nancy- Can you speak to reading difficulties and the child study process? How can we help child study teams address instruction/interventions in the five components of reading? Thanks! I hope the question isn't too confusing!

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi,
The child study team plays a critical role in identifying a child as eligible for special services, but also in providing instructional direction. Assessment needs to focus on each component of reading so that the information gathered can be used to create a meaningful educational plan for the student. The team should also play a role in monitoring progress and determing effectiveness of intervention. This requires a deep knowledge of the reading process as well as appropriate informal and formal measures for assessment.

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Question from Tricia Crane, Chair, Special EducationDistrict Advisory Committee, Santa Monica-Malibu School District:
    Dyslexic students with speed of processing issues are frequently subjected to repeated readings to increase reading rate. But there is no research that shows the gains made on repeated readings generalize. Should teachers and parents use these activities because there is nothing else? Or would students be better off using valuable time in broad reading? Are any studies on fluency revealing techniques or programs that show real benefit? I am referring to students who have worked for years in research based interventions and are accurate but slow.

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Tricia,
You have asked an important yet complicated question. A significant body of research supports repeated reading and guided oral reading with feedback as effective instructional interventions for fluency. At the same time, despite our best efforts, many children remain slow readers.

Louisa Moats, in LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) reports that her fellow researchers have identified the following subgroups among these students; those with low phonological processing, limited letter naming, word reading and vocabulary for whom intervention began late (Torgeson, et al, 2001), those in lowest 5% of reading proficiency (Fuchs et al, 2001,) and those with a double deficit (Wolf & Katz-Cohen, 2001).

We know that, for dyslexics, the primary problem is phonological. Some may demonstrate difficulty with rapid naming and recognition of letters and words and others may exhibit problems in both areas (double deficit).

Many researchers continue to advocate for the use of repeated readings to increase accuracy and automaticity because it provides repeated exposure that prompts formation of new orthographic images and/or increases efficiency of access to images formed. At the same time, individuals such as Maryanne Wolf, Betty Ann Levy and Ginger Berninger have continued to investigate alternative approaches that focus on building semantic networks to improve speed of text-based word recognition, increasing visibility of orthographic patterns in word, and combining repeated reading with the alphabet principle practice.

Dyslexia, Fluency and the Brain (edited by Maryanne Wolf) is a rich resource for information on the issues of fluency research and practices. Additionally, Maryanne Wolf and Maureen Lovett have developed two programs, RAVE-O and PHAST (not yet commercially available) that address the issues you have raised.

Finally, in response to your inquiry about broad reading, its importance cannot be understated. It is through extensive experience with print that students build orthographic images that allow them to read words accurately and automatically without having to rely on phonetic analysis or other methods each and every time they interact with words. Nagy and Anderson (1984) etimated that good readers read up to a million words a year while poor readers read as few as 100,000 words in and out of school. A lack of interaction with text only serves to intensify the problems of the dyslexic or struggling reader. Students beome fluent, acquire vocabulary, build background knowledge and schema through reading--hence, the importance of deep and broad reading experiences.

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Question from Miriam Dreisinger, Curriculum & Learning Specialist: The Gillen Brewer School:
    Please speak to the subject of adapting typical literature anthologies for the LD students who read on 1-3 grade levels, but whose ages and interests are more sophisticated. What has your experience been?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Addressing the needs of the older student, who continues to struggle with learning to read, can be challenging. Adolescent literacy is, in fact, the subject of a large research initiative under the auspices of National Institute of Child and Health Development (http://www.nichd.nih.gov/) in partnership with the Office of Vocational and Adult Education and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

The reality is that many of these students continue to struggle with basic reading skills (phonological awareness and decoding). I suspect this is the case for your students since you have indicated that their reading levels are grades 1-3. So, this means that not only do your students need continued remediation using controlled and/or decodable text to ensure adequate practice, but also access to rich literature and subject area text. It is critically important that they have this opportunity for multiple reasons including the building of vocabulary and background knowledge.

Teachers can successfully use literature anthologies in combination with remedial programs either by reading to students or providing books on tape. The instructional planning is not very different than that needed for written text and in fact, the strategies for before, during and after reading are essentially the same e.g. discussion of vocabulary, connecting to prior knowledge, summarizing learning etc. The principal difference is that this becomes a listening comprehension task. In some instances, a lower readability version may be available and can be used to support understanding. But, I believe it is important that these students have the same opportunities and access to information, narrative or expository, as their peers.

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Question from Robin, Parent:
    What strategy is there to help a student, junior in High School, to improve on their comprehension? My daughter, reads fluently at a 9th grade level, as per assessment but at a 5th grade level for comprehension. Processing information is a challenge for her.

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    It is terrific that your daughter is a fluent reader. But, reading for meaning requires that a student approach a text strategically. This is often a problem for students with learning disabilities who tend to be passive about learning tasks.

One of the things educators and parents can do is teach, model and then, encourage students to verbalize what they need to do before beginning a learning task, during the task and then afterward.

For example, if a student has been assigned a chapter to read in social studies, they need to have a plan in place that will allow them to make meaning of what they have read. So, they might begin by previewing the chapter, asking themselves what they already know about the topic, reading the title and subtitles, turning these into questions, looking at the pictures, and reading the questions posed at the end of the chapter. As they read, they can pause periodically, ask themselves what the main ideas and details are, summarize, highlight and /or take notes. When students do not understand something, they need to reread, look up the unknown word or mark the section with a question mark. They should also be looking for answers to questions they have identified. When they are finished reading, it is time to review their summaries, answer all questions and think about what they have learned. This is a traditional strategy, with some modification, for reviewing text book chapters.

An effective approach to teaching learning strategies, specific to acquiring content, is the Strategic Instruction Model developed by the University of Kansas (http://www.ku-crl.org).

An important feature of using strategies is the inner dialogue while engaged in the task. This dialogue often takes the form of questions that focus on what’s the plan, what’s working, what’s not, what do I need to do next. Yes, it is all right to talk to yourself!!!

Additionally, note-taking can support the processing and storage of information. Note-taking formats, graphic organizers and/or software like Inspiration (http://www.inspiration.com) organize and structure information which then supports retention and understanding.

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Question from B.Anderson, Parent:
    Would you say that the reading growth is limited for a child with LD? How can a parent determine when to draw the line with programs such as Huntington, Sylvan, or Linda Mood Bell? What questions can parents ask to determine the best program/s for our child/chiildren?

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Wow, you have asked some incredibly important questions! First, many factors play into whether or not a child with a learning disability can close the gap between current level of performance and what is considered appropriate at a particular age or grade. Not the least of these are the abilities and weaknesses that the child brings to the task of reading. Additionally, the quality of instruction (evidenced-based), intensity (how often), the duration (for how long) and of course, the fidelity (delivered the way designed) coupled with an informed instructor directly influence the progress a student can make.

Early intervention is also critical. This is not to say that we can not address the reading difficulties of the older student, but it is certainly more challenging.

As a parent, I would want the expert advice of an informed professional regarding what progress my student has made, problems he or she continues to have, and what interventions are indicated based on results and response to prior intervention and program. This might mean some informal and/or formal testing to determine current levels of performance and instructional need.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (http://www.LD.org) can be of assistance in locating resources in your area. NCLD and others, like the International Dyslexia Association (http://www.interdys.org) also provide guidance in selecting schools and therapists.

If a parent knows what their child’s specific instructional needs are, they are better prepared to consider programs. They should ask about the instructional focus of the program, who it was designed for, how often it needs to be delivered, under what conditions (e.g., one to one, small group), expected outcomes and how they will be assessed, supporting research, and the training of the teacher/tutor. Students who have reading disabilities certainly need and deserve more intensive research based programs delivered by well trained teachers with expertise in this area.

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Question from Colleen, NY Parent:
    Hi I have a 5th grader who I'm told is reading on grade level and has good comprehension but very poor fluency rate. He also has difficulties with inferencing. What are the best ways to improve these areas. I'm going to ask for the Woodcock Johnson Reading Mastery in March. He has been assessed with the QRI Qualitative Reading Invitory. Thank your for any information colleen NY

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.:
    Hi Colleen,
The most widely used and researched strategy for building fluency is repeated reading. Traditionally, this means that we ask a student to reread the same passage a set number of times (usually three or four), either alone or with guidance from a teacher. Usually, the passage selected is instructional level (no more than 10 errors out of 100 words). A goal is set for words correct per minute and each reading is timed, recorded and compared against that goal. There are some variations on this theme during which students can reread pages naming letters, sounds, word and /or phrases that reflect what they have been taught to date. Each of these readings are also repeated and timed.

Some commercially available products focus primarily on fluency such as Read Naturally (http://www.readnaturally.com) and Great Leaps (http://www.greatleaps.com) while others embed fluency practice within the context of a more comprehensive program.

One thing that you can do to support the development of fluency is encourage your child to read. This may not be his favorite task so identifying what interests him is critical. The reality is that reading practice makes a difference-the more we read the better we get at it!

Your second question refers to inferencing which is considered critical to comprehension and a major source of difficulty in this area. Often texts are not as explicit as they could be and readers need to use what they know about the topic to "fill in the missing pieces." These students usually can respond to literal questions, those for which the answers are explicitly stated in the passage. However, when they are asked to relate prior knowledge to the text to supply missing details, they often have difficulty.

We can not overstate the importance of building prior knowledge while teaching students to read. One way we can build this skill is by directly teaching and modeling how to ask and answer different types of questions. Practicing initially with finding the answers to explicit questions (found in the text), then with implicit inferential questions (require use of text and prior knowledge) can be powerful. Once students are able to do this, we can work with them to generate questions of their own that are both explicit and implicit.

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Deanna Stecker (Moderator):
    The hour is up and we need to bring this LDTalk to a close. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions and to all who joined in and followed the discussion.

A very special thanks to Nancy Hennessy for sharing her expertise with us. A complete transcript of today's chat will be available at www.LDTalk.org very soon.

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